Female Genital Mutilation- The Ultimate Indignity









The first time I came across the subject of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), was when I heard Khadija Gbla, a lady from Sierra Leone, deliver a very hard-hitting talk on Ted Talk show. The talk was titled “My mother’s strange definition of empowerment”.

Khadija’s narration of her firsthand experience of FGM made me cringe but what left me thoroughly bemused was the fact that this practice was believed to be a step towards “empowerment”. By her own admission, Khadija’s mother admits that she had put young Khadija through FGM. She iterates, “Yes, I did. I did it for your own good. It was in your best interest. Your grandmother did it to me, and I did it to you. It's made you a woman. You're empowered, Khadija.”



So what is FGM? FGM involves cutting or removing a part or all of female’s external genitalia.  It is practiced on children either at a very young age or just at the cusp of puberty.

The World Health Organization classifies four categories of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C)- clitiroidectomy; excision (of considerable variation of female genital tissue); infibulation (excising the clitoris and labia and stitching together the edges of the vulva to prevent sexual intercourse) and finally mutilation other than these forms.

While male circumcision may cut down the possibility of HIV and AIDS, FGM has no known medical benefits whatsoever. On the contrary, it is dangerous and has the potential to put the girl’s life at risk. The trauma caused by those experiencing FGM can leave a deep psychological scar, not to mention, the high risks associated with surgeries performed by complete hacks with rusty instruments which are often conducted in the open, far away from a medical setup of any kind.  Subsequent obstetric complications are often the fall out of FGM, which can ultimately lead to infections in the future. Despite increasing awareness and attempts by governments and agencies to discourage this barbaric practice, it persists, particularly in parts of Africa and Asia, including India.



An article titled “Cultural Evolution and the mutilation of women”, published in The Economist, explores how two professors from the University of Bristol, Janet Howard and Mhairi Gibson, try to understand the practice of FGM and device methods to wipe it out. The study pointed to the fact that the maximum prevalence of FGM is to be found in West African countries like Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Mali and Senegal. However, despite sporadic attempts, instances of FGM are found in a lot more countries and communities, like the Bohra community of India.

In the year 2013 a documentary film, Honor Diaries, produced by Paula Kweskin, explored the many facets of violence against women in honor-based societies. The documentary focused particularly on FGM, violence against women perpetrated through honor killings and forced marriages.


Speaking about this documentary, Qanta Ahmed, a lady doctor who has practiced medicine in the Muslim societies for over 25 years, says, “honour violence, and FGM/C in particular trigger keenly felt collective shame. This practice is so shameful, we, as a society, whether Muslim Majority, Muslim Diaspora or Non Muslim Westerners can quite literally not bear witness”.


The second time I came across FGM when a petition appeared in my mailbox, which read as follows:

At the age of seven, I was subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Mumbai, in a most unhygienic and clandestine manner. The shock and trauma of that day are still with me.
Like me, there are thousands of my Dawoodi Bohra sisters who have been subjected to genital cutting as children and even today thousands of Bohra girls are being subjected to this practice since it has been ordained by the clergy of our community.”
This made me sit up and sign the petition immediately. The petition made me realize that the practice of FGM had nothing to do with education, in such instances. The Dawoodi Bohras are among the most educated communities in India. It also does not have any religious sanctions per se.  This is a cultural practice, which is aimed at curbing sexual desire and a need to control women. It is indeed ironic that people like Khadija’s mother or the clergy from the Dawoodi community; feel that they are doing it for the benefit of the women.
It is not necessary to be a doctor like Ms. Qanta Ahmed, to understand that FGM/C is in effect a complete denial of a girl or woman to a healthy future, as an entity, with normal sexual needs. A few physical cuts erase the feminine being by excising her sexuality.
FGM is as bad as rape and should carry the same level of punishment for people who perpetrate such cruelty. The problem lies perhaps in the fact that while rape is an accepted crime, FGM has its backers and has religious sanctions. With higher level of education among women, and greater awareness, the practice can be eliminated in the long run. The World Health Organizations’, interagency statement on the subject of FGM, titled “Eliminating female genital mutilation”, recommends the empowerment of women to be a potent method for fighting this scourge.
Here is what they have to say:

“As female genital mutilation is a manifestation of gender inequality, the empowerment of women is of key importance to the elimination of the practice. Addressing this through education and debate brings to the fore the human rights of girls and women and the differential treatment of boys and girls with regard to their roles in society in general, and specifically with respect to female genital mutilation. This can serve to influence gender relations and thus accelerate progress in abandonment of the practice (WHO, 2000b; Population Reference Bureau, 2001, 2006; UNICEF, 2005b; UNFPA, 2007a). Programmes which foster women’s economic empowerment are likely to contribute to progress as they can provide incentives to change the patterns of traditional behaviour to which a woman is bound as a dependent member of the household, or where women are loosing traditional access to economic gain and its associated power. Gainful employment empowers women in various spheres of their lives, influencing sexual and reproductive health choices, education and healthy behaviour (UNFPA, 2007a)”.
In recent times international bodies like the United Nations agencies have pledged their support to communities, governments and women and girls, so that female genital mutilation is soon consigned to history.
For the benefit of readers, I share the petition and the link to the TED Talk show. I also provide the links to the reports and articles that have been used for reference. Hope it will make a difference and we shall be able to provide our sisters with a better tomorrow.
Petition
TED Talk
Reference


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